paradox conferences

Back in the late 90s two cybernauts came to Arcosanti with a vision of how to remake Arcosanti, using some of the resources of the cyberspace digital culture based in SF/Silicon Valley. These two digital innovators Michael Gosney and Ron Anastasia eventually were able to convince Paolo Soleri and the Cosanti Foundation to support and host a series of conferences that were called the Paradox Conferences with the theme based on Paolo Soleri’s thesis/essay about his take digital development and how it relates to Arcology Theory. In addition for a time there even was a all volunteer Paradox Project with the mission of developing the Virtual Arcosanti Model (VAM) and other Paradox related materials to support Arcosanti’s further development. This project was directed by Michael Gosney and coordinated by an onsite volunteer Libby Hubbard who goes by Doctress Nuetopia.

A few weeks ago at School of Thought I mentioned the old Paradox Discussions that occurred during and after the 3 Paradox Conferences we had at Arcosanti from 1997 to 2001. Paolo then seemed to take an interest in revisiting some of the ideas discussed during that time such as in relation to the role of technology in transforming humanity.

The gist of what Paolo was saying about Paradox was that technology had the potential if used properly to guide humanity towards a more rational way of solving problems. He recently put out a short essay revising his paradox thesis and considering how science, technologies and the rational thoughts that supposedly underlie them are empowering humans to find solutions and understand reality without the need for a mystical mother nature or creating God/Goddesses. It almost seems like he sees the dialectic of history in Apollian and Dionysian framework with the feminine/passionate aspect of ourselves as being more intimately linked to the Dionysian – that mystical underwor;d that defines Eros the Greek goddess of love. Then we have a link to Paolo’s reaction to Gaia as well in that Mother Nature in the form of Gaia and Eros are intricately linked together.

Stephen Budner recently sent me a email from an interview with Dr Charles Tart on ShrinkRapRadio #34, April 23, 2006. Forty Years of Consciousness Research. In the piece Dr. David Van Nuys, aka “Dr. Dave” interviews Dr. Charles Tart (transcribed from by Kerstin Sjoquist):

Other intelligent men and women were going through this same kind of crisis, and they realized science was right in a lot of ways – there was a lot of nonsense in religion, but was it all nonsense? And they came up with the brilliant idea of: can we apply the method of science? Not the particular findings at any moment, but the method to investigate various phenomenon – spirituality, religion – and begin to separate out what was true and important, and what was false and superstitious. That was an inspiring vision for me, and basically that’s what I’ve been doing the last 50 years.